🔗 Share this article The Greater Manchester Mayor Would 'Probably' Have Won Gorton and Denton Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham would have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Blocked Candidacy The surprise result has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He probably would have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she stated she accepted "collective responsibility" for the ruling, pointing to worries over triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party needed to learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to utilise that insight, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and reflect on how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."
The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham would have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Blocked Candidacy The surprise result has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He probably would have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she stated she accepted "collective responsibility" for the ruling, pointing to worries over triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party needed to learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to utilise that insight, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and reflect on how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."